Power transmission



l July 7, 1942. Ac. A. NERACHER ETAL 2,283,594

POWER TRANsMLssIoN F'iled- May l, 1932 .6 Sheets-Shed'I l /9 y l /49 2.5 A231920 44.- I ,a5-5' /94 2,7. tj I fij' f//gzz i 2M "2 fa 6 I 202 :l sa 224-25/ ,9

6, ,Bf f7 5 Z 2/ "0n-l I [N VENT ORS. 224 By z zal "77- 5% p n i #l @Mf July 7, 1942- A. NERAcI-IER ETAL 2,288,594

PowER TRANSMISSION 'Filed May 1', 1959- 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 v July 7, 1942.`

c. A. NERACHER Engl. 2,288,594

.POWER TRANSMISSION `Filed May 1, 1939 e sheets-sneet :s

fw 27 e jj; 26

la ff 4 54 '242 f7 )7 f 23A g A TTORNEYS July 7 1942.

c. A. NERACHER :TAL

POWER TRANSMISSION Filed May 1, 1939 e s heetssneet 4' BY J/l/zZZz'a/w '7.-' zz I A T T ORNE YS.

. July 7, 1942-. c. A. NEACHER E-rm.

POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Hay l, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 [N VEN T ORS- caff? H. Nerdcc: By nfl/zzz, 7.3mm); /r/nwqf/ M, @ZLlX/f/M l A TTORNE rv.

7,`1942- c. ANERACHER m-AL 2,288,594

VPOWERTmHsnIssfIoN I Filed lay 1, 193s e sheets-sheet e .4 TTORNEKS.

Patented July A7, 1942 UNITED 4STATES PATENT OFFICE rowEa TRANSMISSION Carl Neracher and William T. Dunn, Detroit,

Mich., assignors to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 1, 1939, serial No. 271,916

59 claims.

-v type, giving three forward speed ratios including` direct and a. reverse drive, together with an overdriving mechanism behind the standard trans- (Cl. 'i4- 472) resulting unfavorable speed ratio would give sluggish performance for rapid acceleration in trailic conditions.

` Further disadvantages ofthe aforesaid conventional overdrive mechanism are that a very sturdy gearing is required because it is behind the standard type transmission wherein torque can bemultiplied; also the requirement for mechanism to l render the direct drive overrunning clutch inopmission so that the drive passes first through the standard transmission and then to the overdrive mechanism. In such systems the usual relatively slow speed axle ratio of about 4.3 is customarily used. This well known overdrive mechanism provides an overruning direct drive which is releasable, on release of the accelerator pedal to slow down the engine and the attainment of a predetermined vehicle speedsuch as forty miles per hour, to automatically engage a centrifugal clutch to eect an overdrive through a planetary gear set. when the vehicle speed in overdrive j drops down to a predetermined speed at which the t overdrive control clutch will automatically'release, generally around miles per hour, the drive is thenautomatically resumed in direct. fThis known arrangement is advantageous in slowing down the engine less than a direct drive to the usual propeller shaft with resulting fuel economy, reduction in engine wear, quieter operaerative to enable driving the vehicle in reverse.

Our present transmission system overcomes the disadvantages of the aforesaid known type of overdrive mechanism and oifers many advantages of structure, vdrive functions and economy not heretofore possible. 9

WeA preferably employ certain fundamental arrangements of parts such as the use of an' underdrive or reduction drive mechanism ahead of a change speed transmission of conventional or other type. together with a relatively fast axle ratio in the neighborhood of 3.5 by way of example. v A v While the underdrive mechanism may have any desired number ofjspeed ratio drives or changes, we preferably provide an arrangement whereby the drive through this mechanism is either direct viz., la speed ratio of 1 to 1, or an underdrive, viz.,

, a speed reductionless` than 1 tool. More particution of mechanical parts and other known advantages.

Withthe foregoingknown overdrive arrange-fA ment, there is lacking a desired flexibility of drive control in that theoverdrive is effective only on attaining a predetermined vehicle speed and once engaged cannot be released until the car speed has dropped` as aforesaid.` Such arrangement prevents the realization of overdrive economy for city driving which is `ordinarily '75% of average driving conditions. There is, also the disadvan- V. tage in that when in overdrive, the unfavorable larly, our underdrive mechanism is preferably so arranged that during normal car running the Vdrive therethrough is a direct drive although the underdrive is obtained at will and during initial acceleration of the car from standstill thereby obtaining the advantage of more powerful and l faster car acceleration. Thus the eifect of a normal, direct d rive, in commotion with thel rela-V tively fast axle ratio and a setting of direct drive inthe `change speed transmission behind the underdrivemechanismis substantially the equivalent of obtaining an overdrive from the engine to. -the car driving ground wheels.4 y

The direct drive oifers advantages. of quiet running and high economy for city as well 'as country driving conditions, our control systembeing such vthat the underdrive maybe immediately brought into action at any time without shock or jolt to Y the passengers or the parts of the driving mechaspeed `ratio drive prevents rapid car acceleration as is frequently desirable in passing another car.

or where for other reasons the enginey is called on .to suddenly deliver greater torque or to rapidly accelerate the car. `If the overdrive cut-in speed were reduced to, say 20 miles per hour, to enable more economical running in the city then the faster drive. such as direct, without shock or jolt.`

Furthermore, the underdrive mechanism is operable at will from the underdrive to the We have providedv an lmderdrivemechanism which employs gearing of the type for obtaining theunderdrive ratio since this generalV type of gearing offers many advantages'of quietness of operation, compactness and ability driving and 'driven shafts of the underdriving mechanism.

We preferably employ a fluid coupling for providing a drive connection between the engine and the underdrive mechanism although. our power transmission as a whole may be used in conjunction with other forms of clutches such as the ordinary .plate-type friction clutch for releasing the drive between the engine and underdrive mechanism. f

A uid coupling is, however, employed by preference since, among its advantages are long life without wear since the circulating'fluid provides the drive connection; inherent slip which accommodates the use of a relatively fast axle to great advantage since the engine can rapidly accelerate upl to its maximum torque ahead of the parts driven therefrom, thereby increasing what is known as car.performance or accelerating ability; smooth car get-away largely because at lower speeds the cushioning effect of the coupling is highest; elimination of rattle and backlash noises through the whole car driving mechanism and making highly accurate fits of parts less necessary since the engine torquel impulses are not transferred back -to the driven parts owing to the drive taking place through a liquid medium; reduction in the necessity for shifting gear or manipulating speed changes to the usual degree in the change speed transmission because of the slip characteristics of the coupling; elimination of wear as in the facing's of conventional friction clutches; prevention of damage-to driven parts of the car mechanism making it possible to use lighter and cheaper structures because of the softness of the fluid clutch action making abuse of the parts impossible;v provision for safer and easier driving on slippery pavement'because of the gentle acceleration and retardation characteristics; provision for safety feature if the engine should stall on a hill since the engine may be started without the driver declutching or removing his foot from the brake pedal; making unnecessary the driver holding his foot on the usual clutch pedal while. the car is stopped in traffic; and providing for increased car performance without enlarging engines thereby offering lower weight and cost together with increased oil and fuel economy, and increased engine life.

We also employ a novel control system whereby theY direct drive of the underdrive mechanism may be released at the will f the driver preferably by lseveral independently operable driver controls. One of these controls is provided to enable sustained underdrive without the direct drive coming into action, this overall drive thus preventing automatic operation of the. step-up drive.

v Another of the aforesaid controls is operable in response to driver operation of the engine throttle adjusting mechanism to automatically.

effect a kick-down or step-down fromzdirect to underdrive and, on releaseor partial release of the accelerator pedal, the direct drive is restored. Preferably the arrangement issuch that the accelerator pedal has a kick-down range beyond its wide, open throttle. position, the pedal overtravelling the throttle valve. This operation of the accelerator pedal is anatural movement by the operatory when desiringfaster car acceleration which is readily obtained in the underdrive ratio withoutshiftingthe change speed transmission.

, Once the-mechanism is operated forkck-down,

oficontrol. `During the direct drive the gearingv is locked-up so that it turns as a unit with the the direct drive is, by preference, not restored until the accelerator'pedal is 's'ubstantiallyfully released thereby preventing undesired speed ratio changes within a narrow range of movement of the accelerator pedal. A further feature resides in the provision of control means, such as a dashpot, for regulating the operation of the direct drive when changing from underdrive thereby obtaining smooth change after kick-down for example.

We have provideda novel underdrive mechanism wherein one of the elements of theplanetary gearing constitutes a drive control element in conjunction with the underdrive control means. This control element is adapted to be lresiliently held, to take reaction of the underdrive. By providing the control means with an overrunning device between the reaction-taking element and a holding means therefor, the

underdrive will be made to automatically func-rv tion, while releasing in response to the faster or direct drive. The overrunning device thus is part of the underdrive while overrunning during the faster or direct drive.

For the relatively fast drive through the underdrive mechanism, we have provided control means in the form of a clutch adapted to ,lock

the underdrive gearing to directly drive the driven shaft from the driving shaft. This clutch is arranged to engage automatically in response to predetermined car speed and, fby preference, pressure fluid is utilized to engage the direct clutch, the supply of pressure uid to operate the clutch being controlled by valving means adapted for operation in response to driver operation of the aforesaid driver controls. A further feature of our invention resides in the provision of novel means for controlling the length of time v of car acceleration in underdrive before automatic engagement of the direct drive clutch takes place.

Another important feature of our invention resides in the provision of a novel blocker mechanism which prevents engagement of 4the underdrive lock-up clutch except when the two engageable elements of the clutch aie rotating at synchronous speed, or substantially so.

Still another feature of our invention resides in the provision of novel engine starting means by means of which the vehicle engine is started by a small high-speed motor connected to the runner of the fiuid coupling. Our novel engine starting means utilizes the slip inherent in the fluid coupling to permit the starting motorV to ment of parts more particularly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings which are illustrative of several embodiments lof our invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational viewl Fig. 2A is a detail sectional elevational view of a portion of the engine throttle valve controlling rod.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view of the under-drive transmission mechanism and fluid coupling. ,f

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the rear transmission mechanism this view being taken toward th'e right of line A-A of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5A is a fragmentary view of a modification of themechanism of Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line' 6--6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is asection along the line 'l-l of Fig. 3..

from the impeller in a manner which is generally well known.

In order to facilitate the manufacture of the fluid coupling, the impeller may be mounted on the crankshaft 23 by means of a hub 29 which in this case is formed'integrally with the impeller and has a rearwardly extending shoulder portion 30 adapted to receive the outer race of a baring 3l, the inner race of which is carried by a second hub 32, the latter being xed to the -runner 23 by Welding'or other suitable means. The reference numeral 33 designates a baffle ring which has the well-known function of interrupt- Fig. 8 is a section alongthe line 3-3 of Fig. 3. F

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the dashpot shown in Fig. 8. i

Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view illustrating a. portion of the pressurefluid supply system for the direct drive control means.V

Fig. 11 isl a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a modification of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a modified clutch ing the circulation of the fiuid in the coupling during the .period that the engine is idling to thereby minimize .the drag through the coupling at times when drive is not desired.

The runner 28 is thus centered and journaled by its hub 32 and the bearing 3l within the hollow hub 30 which is rigidly carried by the crankshaft-23. Disposed within hub 32 and splned for driving 'connection therewith at 33' is a forward reduced end portion of ahollow shaft 34,` this shaft extending forwardly within the bear- Ying 3| for centering support thereby and constituting the driving shaft for transmitting drive from engine A and uid coupling B to the forcontrol valve adapted to be used with thel Fig. 1l

mechanism.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional side elevational view of, a modified form of power transn mission.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view along line l4-I4 of' Y Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional side elevational view of a further modification. f

Fig. 16 is a sectional view along line lli-I5 of Fig. 15. l Fig. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view along line I'I--Il of Fig. l5. i

Referring to the drawings and especially to Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, it will be seen that we have elected to illustrate the principles of our invention in connection with power transmission for a motor vehicle although-it is desired to point out wardly disposed underdrive Vportion C of the transmission mechanism.

The impeller 25 is formed with a rear housing portion 36 'which extends inwardly around the runner 28 and is provided with any suitable type of fluid Seal generallydesignated at 31 whereby escape of iiuicl is prevented Aat the rear portion of the runner 28. The forward end of the hub 32 is closed-by a plug 38 for preventing escape of fluid rearwardly within this hollow hub. Disposed Within bearing 3| and within the hollow forward end portion of the driving shaft 34is the reduced forward end portion 39 of a driven shaft 4G, the latter being theshaft which transmits drive from the driving shaft 34' to the rearwardly disposed portion D of the speed ratio changing mechanism. This shaft 4 0 is therethatV many of the features are capable of use to advantage in other forms of devices. We have illustrated in Fig. 1A, in diagrammatic form, a typical` arrangement of the principal illustrative portions of our power transmission wherein referenceV character A represents` a motor vehicleV prime mover which is preferably inthe form ofA the well-known internal combustion engine, the drive passing from said engine through a clutch which by preference is a fluid coupling B to the speed ratio changing means herein illustratedas comprising a forward underdrive mechanism C and a -rearward 'mechanism D from which the drive may pass by way of a `conventional propeuer shaft 2o to the differential E and thence to the ground wheels 22 by way of the usual rear axle portions'2 l The engine A has its crankshaft 23 (Fig. 3) connected by fasteners 24 with the impeller 25 of fore in the nature of an intermediary shaft and becomes the driving shaft for the mechanism D. The forward shaft portion 39 is journallecl by a bushing 39x within the shaft 34 and is thereby also centered by the bearing 3l.

For convenience of reference, we will therefore, unless otherwise noted, referto forward rotation asbeing the rotation corresponding to that of the crankshaft 23 which has the usual clockwise j rotation viewed from front to rear, this being the the fluid coupling-B, thisy impeller having the usual fluid circulating vanes 26 which extend sub- `stantially radially of the axis of rotation o f lthe impeller and Whichare spaced circumferentially around vthe impeller so that' the fluid medium. such as oil, is caused to travel outwardly by centrifugal force in the spaces between the'vanes 26 for discharge into the spaces between the vanes 21 of the runner 28 wherebythe latter is driven direction of rotation ofl shafts 34 and 4D when transmitting drive to the mechanism D wherein we have located the usual means for reversing the normal direction of drive in order `to operate the vehicle in reverse.

Underdrive mechanism C comprises a speed ratio changing mechanism employing planetary gearing and more particularly, this mechanism is arranged to provide selectively operable forward drives, one vof which is a reduced or underdrive and the other of which provides a relatively faster 'drive of the driven shaft 40 with respect to they driving shaft. This relatively faster drive is arranged to provide a direct drive wherein the speed ratio is 1 to 1. v

f Driving shaft 34 extends rearwardly to provide an enlarged hollowv intermediate portion 4l' which extends radially outwardly to form the annular driving members of a main driving clutch F. 'Ihe portion 4l also has a pair of rearwardly projecting annular shoulder portions 43 and 4 4 45 is adaptedto be reciprocated. This piston 45 is connected to the portion 4I of shaft 34 by a plurality of pins 42' which permit the piston to. have longitudinal movement relative to the portion 4I,` the connection between piston 45 and the clutch driving spider 46 being in the nature of longitudinal splines.

A plurality oi' coil springs 43 surround the pins 42 and act to urge the piston 45 toward the forward endof cylinder J. 'I'he driving spider member 46 of the clutch F. has a plurality of annular ber driving discs 41 splined thereto. Interleaved with the driving discs 41 are a plurality of driven discs 48 which are splined to an annulus gear 49 which is adapted to be drivinglyJ connected with the shaft 34 by means of the clutch F. Meshing with this annulus gear is a plurality of planet gears or pinions 50, each planet gear being rotaiively mounted n an axle shaft supported by aV carrier` structure 52 having a forwardly extending hub portion'53 which extends within the hollow intermediate portion of the shaft 34 and is splined at 54 for direct driving connection with the driven shaft 40. A bushing 54x journals the annulus gear within the shaft portion 43 of the shaft 34.

The planet gears also mesh with a hollow sun gear 55 which Ais loosely journalled on the driven shaft 40 and has a rearwardly extending controlling portion 56 which has clutch teeth 51 on its extreme rearward end.

If desired', the fluid coupling B may be omitted and the crankshaft 23 may be connected directly to the shaft 34., It is, however, preferred to transmit the drive from the crankshaft to the shaft 34 through the fluid coupling because of 2,28'e,594 A which form a fluid cyiinder J in which a piston which compensates for any inaccuracies in the parts of the overrunning devices about to be described. a i

Fig. 5A illustrates a modification of the device Lshown in Fig. 5', the only difference being in the cushioning element.A In Fig. 5A, the reaction member 58 has an ear (illa at each side thereof.

A pairof coil springs 6la and 6|b disposed between each ear 6l)a and the casing 59, as shown.

yieldingly holds the reaction member 58 against rotation with respect to the casing.

The control portion 56 of sun gear 55 has a cam 56 formed on its outer surface (as shown in Fig. 5) which forms one element of an overrunning device having a cage 63 carrying a plurality of rollers 63 which form a releasable locking means between the control portion 56 of the sun gear and the brake member 58. It can be.

seen from Fig. 5 thatl any tendency of the sun gear 55 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction will cause rollers 63 to move upwardly on the inclined surfaces vof cam 56 thereby locking the sleeve 56 to the reaction-taking member 58.

the advantages inherent in such a drive which have already been pointed out.

From the mechanism thus far described, it will be apparent that drive from the engine crankshaft 23 may be transmitted through the uid coupling B and clutch F, the plates of which are adapted to be drivingly engaged by means here-4 inafter to be described, to the annulus 49 of the planetary gearset. If the sun gear 55 is held against the tendency to rotate backwardly (counterclockwise) when the driving shaft 34 r0- tates forwardly (clockwise), then the annulus gear 49 will operate through the planet gears 58 to transmit an underdrive tothe driven shaft 40 relative to the speed of rotation of the driving shaft 34 by virtue of the carrier 52 driving through the splines 54 on the driven shaft 40.

During this condition of operation the sun gear u 55, which is loosely journalled on the shaft 40, has a tendency to rotate in a counterclockwise direction and must be held against such rotation to provide reaction for the underdrive. 'Ihe means fork holding the sun gear against'counterclockwise rotation consists of a reaction-taking or brakemember 58 (Fig. 5) which is yieldably secured to the transmission casing 59 by cated pins 62.A At each side thereof the reaction' member, 58 has a boss 60 which has an enlarged bore surrounding the pin 62. A rubber bushing 6I completely fills the space between the bore of the boss 60 and the pin 62 thereby providing a resilient holding means for the reaction is integrally connected to the cage 63 of the outer .means of a pair of diametrically oppositely lodegree of universal movement of the member 58 75 In the event that the sun gear 55 is directly ldrivingly connected with one of the other elements of the planetary train, 'then the entire train will be locked to cause the gearing to rotte as a unit and transmit a direct drive from driving shaft 34 to the driven shaft 40. We have provided means for locking the sungear to the shaft 40 for rotation therewith, and under such conditions, the sun gear 55 will rotate ina clockwise direction and will overrun the reaction- `taking member 58 as will be permitted by the set of overrunning rollers 63.

The means provided to lock the sun gear 55 to the shaft-4|) is under the control of the vehicle driver and comprises a piston Amember 66 having a set of external teeth 61 adapted to mesh with the internal teeth 51 provided on the rearward end of the sleeve 56. Piston 66 is adapted to be reciprocated within the cylinder 12 formed in the .casting H8 under the control of valve means which will be presently described. Casting IID is secured to the rear inner wall of casing 5 8 by fasteners III.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 7 in conjunction with Fig. 3, it will be seen that the control sleeve 56 of the sun gear 55 is also provided with an internal cam 55 which forms one member of a second overrunning device, the cage 631 of which overrunning device by a plurality of legs or spoke members 63a as indicated in Figs. 3 and 7. The other member of the second or inner overrunning device consists of a blocker member 64 loosely splined to the shaft 40 as indicated at 65.` Blocker member 64 has teeth 68 externally formed on the rearward end thereof which are adapted under certain conditions of operation to mesh with the internal teeth 68 formed on the forward end of pistonmember 66. A coil spring 10 fastened to the blocker member 64 as indicated at 1| and to piston member 66 as indicated 'at 1|.surrounds the-shaft 40 and acts "to yieldably urge piston 66 rearwardly within cylinder 12 and to rotate blocker member 64 counterclockwise so as to engage the internal spline teeth ofblocker member 64 against one side of the external mating teeth on shaft 40.

So far as has been described, the operation of the device is as follows: Let it be assumed that the annulus gear 49 is being rotated by means of the motor A, thedrive therefrom being transmitted through uid coupling B and clutch F (which is 'adapted to be engaged by means which will presently be described). 4The sun gear 55 will be locked against reaction member' 58 through the overrunning rollers 63 and underdrive will be transmitted to the shaft 48 through 5 the planet gears' 58 and carrier-53. Blocker member 64 and piston member 66 which are --both splined to shaft 48 will rotate therewith,

the blocker .member 64 being urged in a counterclockwise direction by the spring 18 so that the 10 `blocker teeth 68 are misaligned with the internal teeth 69 formed on the piston member 66. The blockermember 64 overruns the control-sleeve 56 and the teeth 51 of the sun gear 55 due to the action of the inner overrunning rollers 63" 115 which during this period will be retained in neu tral, non-driving as shown in Fig. 5.

It is apparent that the piston 86 is blocked Vagainst forward movement of theaction of the blocker member 64 which during this stage is 20V urged by the spring 18 into blocking position. Should fluid be admitted into chamber |25 in` rear of piston 66 at a pressure high enough to overcome the force of spring 18, the piston can move forwardly only until the teeth 69 thereof 25' abut teeth 68 of the blocker member 64. As can be seen in Fig. 3, theteeth 68 are slightly longer than teeth 51, thus it is clear that blocker member 64 will prevent contact between the teeth 51 (which are stationary) and the teeth 61 30 (which rotate at the speed of shaft 48) during the underdrive period; 1

The main driving clutch F is ordinarily maintained in engaged position by means ofthe fluid pressuresupplied bythe pump G; The pump G 35 is more fully illustrated in Fig. 6 and comprises an inner driving member v83 driven from the.

rearward end of a sleevemember 88 by meansV of splines 82.` The sleeve 88 has a toothed connection 8| at its forward end with theimpeller 40 36 as indicated in Fig. 3. The pump is of the well-known gerotor type, the driving member 83 having a plurality of teeth 83', one less in number than the companion internal teeth 84 .of the outer driven pump member 84. This general. type of pump is well-known in the art, the a'rrangement being such that the inner member 83 rotates in unison with the impeller 25thereby rotating outer pump member 84 and causing fluid to be drawn into the crescent-shaped suction 50 chamber 85 of the'pump througha passageway 81 which opens into the sump 88 of casing 59. Fluid under pressure from the pump pressure chamber 86 is delivered' through the passageway 89 into the valve H (see Fig. 2). wherein it 55 lthe interior of the iiuid pressure cylinder J for.

actuation of the piston 45. A spring-pressedl ball check 98 is provided to limitthe pressure of the pump G.

' 85 -Port 93 of the valve H is connected with the sump 88`thr'ough a passageway not shown and vents cylinder J whenever the valve actuating rod 91 actuated by means of the pedal 98 thereby permitting the springsV 43 to-disengage 70' main clutch F.

Clutch F is engaged whenever the motor of the vehicle is operating and the pedal 98 -is in its retracted position asshown in Fig."1. When the of the casing through the passage 9|. of the pedal l98 will cut off communication between the runner 21 and the annulus 49 of the 'planetarygearset for the purpose of shifting gear in the mechanism D, or for other reasons, he may release clutch F by depressing pedal 98 which ac- Jtuates the rod 91 'of Athe valve HJ forwardly, to thereby cut off communication between ports 89 and 92' and establish communication between ports 92 and'93 which will vent cylinder J. rl'he fluid flowing under pressure from pump Gl will 'then unseat the ball 98 and flow into the interior tween ports 92 and 93 of valve H and reestab lish communication between pressure port 89 and port 92 which is connected with intake passageway 96 of the cylinder J thereby causing piston 45 to move rearwardly and engage the driving clutch plates 41 with the driven clutch plates Means will now be described for effecting the automatic operation of the direct drive controlling means in response to acceleration of the car in underdrive whereby an automatic step-up is provided in the underdrive mechanism and such disclosure will also include the several independently operable driver controlled means for eiect. Ving release of the direct drive controlling means.

-We preferably effect operation of the direct drive controlling means or piston 86 through the medium of pressure fluid supplied to the chamber |25 of the cylinder 12 by means of a pump K driven from the driven shaft 48 by means of a ball connection |83. The arrangement is such that when the car is standing still, fluid will not be delivered vunder pressure to the cylinder 12 but pressure fluid will be delivered to this cylinder whenever the driven shaft has a predeter.

mined desired speed of rotation bearing a desired relationship with the speed of travel of the car.

The pump K is of the gerotor type and is similar to the pump G, the details of which are shown in Fig. 6. Referring to Figs. 3, 8 and 10, it will be seen that the pump K comprises an inner driving member |82 fixed to the driven shaft 48 by the ball fastener |83, this driving member h having a plurality of teeth one less in number thanthe companion internal teeth of the outer driven pump member |88. 'I'he inner member |82 rotates with the driven shaft 48, thereby also rotating outer pump member |88 causing fluid to be drawn into the pump suction chamber |81 and to be delivered to Pump Kis rotatably located between the rear transverse wail |89 of the casing 59 and the housing portion of the casting H8 which issecured the pump pressure chamber to the casing wan lmi by. fasteners nl as aforesaid. A supply of oil is maintained infthe reservoir or sump ||3 of "the transmission casing,`

this oil being drawn through an intake tube ||4 Vto suction chamber |I5 (Figs. 8 and*10)v formed in the casting I8, the chamber I5 being open to the crescent-shaped intakechamber |81. At the pump delivery the pressure fluid is passed from the pressure chamber- |88` for delivery forwardly through the casting passage ||8 whence the fluid divides into two paths or streams respectively leading' to the chamber |25 of cylinder 12 and to an axial bore or passage |9 formed in the driven shaft `48- forl distributing the -oil for lubricating purposesjto the partsy of the underdrive mechanism C andi also. preferablyv to parts to be lubricated in the change speed mechanism D.

vehicle operator desires to break the drive b- 75 Following the path of the pressure fluid from Release 6 delivery passage |8 to the chamber |25 of cylinder 12, the fluid passes through thepassage| to the valving means generally designated at V and from this valving means the oil is delivered transversely inwardlythrough the passage |2| to a longitudinally forwardly extending groove |22 closed inwardly by a sleeve |23 surrounding the driven shaft 40 and secured thereto against relative rotation. The groove passageway |22 extends forwardly to an annular chamber |24 which surrounds the sleeve |23 'and has a plurality of outwardly extending radial passages |25 for delivering the fluid from the annular chamber |24 to the chamber |25 in rear of the piston 66. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the piston carries a pairl of annular expanding sealing rings which prevent escape of the fluid forwardly thereof. It

will therefore be apparent that rotation of the.

driven shaft in its normal forward direction will operate the pump K and cause pressure uid admitted through the intake ||4 to be delivered from pump K to the controlling valving means V thence to the chamber |25 for operating the piston 66 forwardly to effect engagement ofthe clutch teeth 61 with the mating teeth 51 to establish direct drive from shaft 3 4 to shaft. 40. However, as explained above, during the period when the car is being driven in underdrive, blocker member 64 which is loosely splined to shaft 40 is urged in such direction by the spring 10 that the teeth 68 thereof are in blocking posiltion with respect to the teeth 69 of the piston 66. As aforesaid, the teeth 68 of blocker member 64 are slightly wider than the teeth 51 of the sun gear '55. though the pressure of the fluid in chamber |25 is high enough to overcome the force of the spring 10, teeth 61 cannot contact teeth 51 so long as the teeth 68 of blocker member 64 are in such position that they abut the teeth 69.

Let it beassumed that the valving means V is in the condition shown in Fig. l8, that the car is being drivenY in underdrive and that the speed of the car is such that the pressure in chamber |25 is suiiicient to overcome the force of spring Piston 66 will have been moved forwardly until the teeth 69 abut the blocker teeth 68 on blocker -member 64. Direct drive relation of the parts may now be established in response to a momentaryrelease of the engine throttle controlling means by the driver.

Release of the throttle controlling means 'will cause a. reversal of driving force through the planetary train instead of the driving element.`

Planet carrier 52 which is splined to shaft 40 will then begin to drive sun gearV 55 in a forward (clockwise) direction, the control sleeve 56 overrunning the member 58 throughV the rollers 63.

' The sleeve 56 will immediately become drivingly locked the blocker member 64 because of the cam 55' which will then wedge the rollers 63" (see Fig. 5) into driving engagement. Blocker member 64 will thus tend to drive the shaft A4|l and will rotate forwardly slightly with respect to said shaft because ofthe loose spline connection 65. This slight forward rotation of the' member 64 is designed-to be just suflicient tounblock the teethf69 Whichaction will allow said teeth to en- It will therefore be seen that even:

gage the 'teeth 68 and permit the piston 66 to move forwardly thereby engaging teeth 61 with the teeth 51 on sleeve 56. At this.stage,A the members 56, 64 and 16 are all rotating forwardly with the shaft 40 thus the engagement of teeth 61'with teeth 51 is accomplished positively and silently.

Opening of the engine throttle will now cause the vehicle to be driven forwardly with the planetary gearset locked up to rotate as a unit, thereby giving a 1:1 driving ratio through the mechanism C.

Under certain conditions of operation, it may occur that theteeth 51 will be in such position with relation to the teeth 61 that these two sets of teeth will abut and block the forward movement of piston 66 during release of the driving force as described above. In such case, at the instant the driver opens the throttle to accelerate the vehicle, there will be a tendency for the piston 66 to rotate forwardly (clockwise) with, relation to the member 56 which will tend to rotate rearwardly (counterclockwise) due to the drive through the planetary gearset. A lvery lslight relative movement of these parts will, of course, unblock the teeth which will slide into mesh under the influence of the pressure fluid in rear `of piston 66 thereby establishing direct drive.

If desired, either the teeth 51 or 61 (or both sets) may be beveled slightly to facilitate meshing.

the overrunning rollers 63' and 63 will have a definite relation because of the interconnection of the cages |53b and 63.

In other words, the rollers 63" will always be in non-driving position during the period when rollers 63 are locked, and rollers 63 will be held in their neutralposition during the period of lock-up between the members 56 and 64 through rollers 63".

This feature is of paramount importance in the eiiicient operation of the transmission as it pre' vents an uncontrollable no-back condition which might occur if the car were driven against an obstruction with sufficient force to spring the bumper thereof. Under such conditions, with the .transmission in gear, a backward thrust would be exerted on the vehicle by the bumper which would tend to turn the shaft.4|l backwardly and wedge both sets of overrunning rollers into lock-up position thereby making Iit impossible for the driver to manipulate the trans'- mission D out of gear because of the frictional load on the teeth of the engaged gears or clutches in said transmission. With the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 3, 5 and 7, an uncontrollable no-back, such as that just described, can never occur because the interconnecting spokes 63EL maintain a definite and fixed relationship between the roller cages 63 and 63". When the rollers 63' are in lock-up position, the rollers 63" will be held in neutral position by the cage 63b and,J similarly, when rollers 63" are in lock-up position, rollei` 63' will be held in neutral by cage 63. l l d The valving means V-jis carried by the casting H0, thisportloxi being formed with a vertical valve receiving bore |29 adapted to slidably receive the valve member |30/ formed' with the bearing portions |3| and |32 and the intermediate reduced portion |33 adapted, when in the Fig. 8 position, to establish communication'b'e-l The casting tween the passages |20 and |2I.

has a downwardly opening enlarged bore |34 re- During the above described cycle of operation,

ceiving a coil spring |35 seated by a pin |36 and thrustingupwardly against a washer |31 to urge the valve member |30 into`its pressure iluid delivery positonrillustrated in Fig. 8. This valve member has an upwardly extending stem |38` engaged by a. nger |39 of a lever l|40 pivotally'supported at |4| to a bracket |42 carried by a cover. member |43 which issecured to the side wall |44 of the casing 59. u

' ton |53 under the inlluence of spring |35. Piston |53 and abutment |6| provide an annular air compressing chamber |64 so arranged that, when the piston |53 moves upwardly, air is trapped in the chamber |64 thereby regulating and cushioning the upward movement of the valve stem |38 for insuring a smooth and gradual The lever |40 has a second finger |45 adapted l0, forward movement of piston member 66. The

to be engaged by a plunger operator |46 secured v to the rear end of a. Bowden wire operating mechanism |41 the forward end of which terminates in a'knob or handlev |48 comprising a driver operated control element mounted in a support 1l |48 at a point for-convenient operation by the driver such as dash or instrument panel |50 (see Fig. 1).- When it isdesired to render the direct drive inoperative for sustained underdrive through the planetary underdrive unit C; the 20 driver pushes the knob |48 to operate the Bow# den wire mechanism |41, thereby causing'the plunger |46 to move inwardlyA and engage finger |45 thereby swinging' the lever .|40 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8. 'I'hs move- 25 ment of lever |40 causes finger |39 to move the valve member |30 downwardly against the spring |35 until the bearing portion |3| of the valve memberis-opposite the casing portion be# tween the passages and |2|. This opens the' 30 pressure iiuid delivery passage v |2| 'to the reservoir ||3 and the fluid is free to iiow outwardly of the passage |2| and upwardly about valve bear? ing portion |3| for discharge at the upper end of the bore |29 and at the same time the pressure 35 iluid in passage |20 is trapped at the reduced portion |33 of the valve member |30 to cut oiy the pressure fluid supplied to passage |2| and chamber of cylinder 12.

When the valve `member is thus movedv 4o downwardly, the spring 10 operates to move piston 66 rearwardly in cylinder 12 so as t'o disengage the teeth. 61 from the teeth 51 and at the same time forces the pressure iluid Vin chamber |25 in the oppositedirectionvthroughl the sys- 45 mits more gradual build-up of pressure in chamtem of passages between the chamber |25 andthe passage |2| adjacent the valve |30. Any suitableriction or detent means vmay be employed at any convenient point in the Bowden wire mechanismrin order to releasably hold the knob |48 either in the position illustrated in Fig.

1 or in its aforesaid position for holding the valve member |30 downwardly against the restoring action of the spring |35. In Figure 1 we have e illustrated a detent |52 which acts on the. Bowden 55 wire mechanism at the housing |48.

We have also providedmea'ns for cushioning- I the restoring movement of the valve member |30 when the spring |35 acts to move the valve member upwardly from the position of 'shutting- .o

off the supply of pressure iluid to the chamber |25 of the cylinder 12 to the position illustrated in Fig. 8. This cushioningmeans comprisesy a dashpot generally designated at P (Figs. 8 and 9).

This dashpot comprises a plunger or piston |53 65 having a downwardly extending rod portion |54 engaging the upper portion of the finger |39 so that this nger is disposed between the valve stem |38 and piston rod |54." The piston |53 carries a ilexible seal |55 slidable in a'cylinder |56 70 ber |51 is seated in a recess portion of` the casing 76 abutment |6| has a depending annular flange adapted to seat against an upstanding companon iiange |66 where, between the cup-portion |51. and at one or more points, the abutment |65 has a small groove |61 which provides re stricted communication between the air compressing chamber |64 and a second annular Vmember is controlled by the dashpot P toeffect a smooth and gradualapplication of the pressure fluid to the rear of the piston 66 thereby effecting `forward movement of the piston without undesired jolt or sho'ckto the operating parts of theI transmission. This dashpot is of particular signicance with regard -'to the manipulation of the throttle operating mechanism after kick-down when used withqth/e modification shown in Fig. 13 which will be described later on in the speciflcation. Inasmuch as the present modification incorporates a blocker member which prevents engagement of the teeth 61 with the teeth 51 except under such conditions that ,the piston 66 and the sun member 56 are rotating at substantially synchronous speed, dashpot P may be omitted without aiecting the operation of the transmission. We prefer, however, to use the dashpot when effecting a change in the drive from underdriveto direct drive because it perber |25 thereby causing the piston 66 to move lforwardly against the action ofthe spring 10 in a smooth and gradual manner.

The lever |40 is also provided with a downwardly extending finger |10 disposed .within the opening |1| of an operating plunger |12 of the velectrically energizedT solenoidO. This solenoid may be of any well-known suitable type and is,V

so arranged that when energized the plunger |12 is moved outwardly to swing the lever |40 in a.

- clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8 to thereby move the valve member |30 downwardly to cut olf the pressure fluid supply to chamber |25 independently of the corresponding operation of the valve member |30 by the knob |48, so. that when it is desired to provide sustained .under` drive, it is not necessary to maintain solenoid O .'in'energized condition. When the solenoid O is,

-deenergized, the spring |35 serves to restore lever |40 and plunger |12 tothe positions of these parts shown in Fig."8 so that thepump`K will deliver pressure iluid to the chamber |25 o'f the cylinder 12. H y

When the vehicle -is being driven in direct drive,'-the underdrive mechanism'maybe brought e finto operation at the willof the driver by en ergizing the solenoid O through mechanism which will now be described. The solenoid O lis contained Ivsrithinacasing |13 which is mounted |11 abuts a washer |18 rod |16, the washer abutting the adjacent face of tremity means such as the screw |13. Contained within the casing |13 is the usual solenoid coil |14 spaced from the plate-like extension of the portion |43 by a spacer |15 which has a central opening accommodating' the solenoid core |12.

The latter has an enlarged central openingthrough which extends the actuator rod |16 and within ywhich is disposed a coil spring |11 surrounding the rod |16. One end of the spring xedly mounted on the the radially inwardly extending portion of the end wall of core |12 which portion has an opening |12. The opposite end of the spring |11 '|19 secured to the to spring seats against an abutment core |12. The relation of spring |35 |11 is such that when the latter is compressed by .movement of the core |12 to the left, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the built-up energy is sulcient to move rod |16 and bell-crank lever |40 to the right against the resistance of the spring |35 for cutting oi communication between passages |20 and 2| of the uid control system.

Carried by and movable with the solenoid core |12 is a metallic rod |80 having a portion thereof projecting axially beyond the adjacent end face of the core and extending into an opening |8| in the end face of casing |13. The rod 80 is adapted upon movement of the core |12 toward the left in response to energization of the solenoid to engage a contact point on an oscillatable switch blade |82 which is included in the engine ignition system as hereinafter set forth. 'I'he switch blade 82 is carried by an insulating mounting |63 which is secured to the casing |13 by suitable fastening means as indicated in Fig. 8. An insulating leg |84 is carried by the blade |82 and engages the end face .of casing |13, it being understood that the bla/de is yieldably urged to the position shown in Fig. 8 by suitable means such as a relatively light spring.

The enel face of the casing has an opening which accommodates the reduced endportion of the rod |16, said portion being provided with an electrically insulated extremity |85 engageable with the switch blade |82 for the purpose hereinafter set forth, it being understood that the rod |80 is adapted upon energization of the solenoid to engage the switch blade contact point prior to engagement of the insulated extremity |85 of actuator rod |16 with the switch blade. As will be presently apparent, the rod is moved to engage the contact point of switch blade |82 for,

normally interrupting the engine ignition circuit while subsequent engagement of the insulated ex- ;|85 of rod` |16 with the switch blade reestablishes the ignition circuit.

the insulated member-of the spark plug |92 the opposing member of the spark plug being ground- The switch |82 is included in the internal combustion engine ignition system or circuit whichl may be of any desired type and as herein illus- 'trated (diagrammatically) includes the usual storage battery |86 vhaving a connector |81 to the primary |88 of the ignition coil and a return con.- nector |89 in the latter of which is interposed a suitable ignition switch |90. The circuit also includes thesecondary coil |88 connected with a movablemember |89 of the distributor, generally indicated at |9| the latter having a series of stationary contacts connected by circuit wires to the respective spark plugs of the vehicle engine. One

ed to the engine as is also the secondary coil |88', these two elements being connected for convenience to the screw |13'. The solenoid coil |14 is connected to the aforesaid circuit by wire |92' which leads to the battery |86 through switch 2|9 and through wire 232 which is connected to the connector |81 leading to the other side 0f the battery. l

vThe usual make-and-break switch indicated at |81 operates in timed relation with the movable member of the distributor |89. That is to say, the make-and-break contact is broken as the movable member of the distributor engages-a respective contact point and make-and-break contact is made as the member |89' breaks contact with the aforesaid point. A

The switch 2| 9 is controlled by manipulation of a suitable vehicle driver operable member illustrated herein as the accelerator pedal for the engine throttle control mechanism, Referring now to Figs. l and 8, the engine A is provided lwith the usual intake manifold |93, to which is conducted the usual gasoline and air mixture from a carburetor |94 under the control of butteriiy valve |95 adjustable by a lever |96 so that when the throttle valve is in its wide open position the lever |96 will engage a stop |91 to prevent further throttle opening movement of lever |96. An operating rod 206 has one end thereof pivotally connected as at 206 to the lever 96, the other end of the rod being operatively connected to a 1ever204 pivotally supported on the vehicle at 205 for swinging movement.

The swinging movement or lever 204 is controlled preferably by a foot operable accelerator pedal |98 pivotally supported at |99 on the vehicle driver compartment toe board 200, a spring 20| yieldably urging pedal |98 upward to throttle closing position. A short arm 202 operatively connects pedal |98 with lever 204.

Throttlevalve actuating rod 206 is pivoted to throttle control lever I 96 through a lost motion mechanism generally indicated at 222 and more clearly illustrated in Fig. 21A. 'I'he rod 206 is adapted to slide through an opening in the ear 223 of the bracket 224 this bracket having a ior-- travel after lever |96 has engaged the stop |91.v

During the overtravel of accelerator pedal |98, spring 221 advises the driver that he is manipulating the accelerator pedal for actuation of the kick-down mechanism by reason of the extrav Vresistance in addition to spring 20| afforded by the compression of spring 221 whenthe collar 226 moves toward the block 226. In other words. when the accelerator pedal is manipulated'for kick-down, an. extra resistance isvencountered by reason of compressing the spring 221 during operation of the Fig'. 2A mechanism which accommodates overtravel of the accelerator pedal beyond its wide open throttle position. The 'forsuch connection is indicated in the 'diagram'for 7 6 ward end of rod 206 is slidably disposed in the b'ore 228, the bracket 224 limiting the separating rod thrusting the block 225 forwardly without4 relative movement therebetween so as to swing lever |96 forwardly and, as the accelerator pedal is depressed to the end of the range of opening throttle movement, the lever |96 will engage stop |91. IThe accelerator .pedal |98 is adaptedto provided what may be termed a kick-down ycontrol for the underdrive mechanism C, so that, when the driver desires to effect release of the .'direct drive and to drive the carin the underdrive, he hasonly to depress the 'accelerator pedal |96 through the kickdown throttle overtravelling rangeof movement thereof to oper- 4ate switch 2|9 tol effect energization of the solenoid O which, is turn, will ground the ignition,

the supply of pressure fluid to the cylinder 12 f have a further range of movement for oyertravelling the throttle valve, while maintaining the latter in' its wide open throttle position, and in orderV to accommodate this overtravelling movement, the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2A comes into action so that during forward overtravel of rod 206, said rod will slide into the bore 228 and compress spring 221 without forwardly moving the block lor the throttle operating lever |96. Upon release of the accelerator pedal |98,

the spring 221 assisted by spring 20|'operates to illustrated'in Fig. 1.' During this return movement of the parts,rod 206 and the parts'associated therewith move relative to the block 225 and lever |96 until the collar 226 engages the ear 223 of thel bracket 224 and thereafter the,

spring 20| will move rod 206 along with the block 225 and lever |96 without -lost motion until the throttle valve |95 is restored to the closed posi- `tion and theaccelerator pedal |90 is correspondingly positioned as i'n Fig. 1.

, The aforesaid overtravel movement of the accelerator pedal |98 is adapted to effect energizetion of the solenoid O through operation of theswitch 2|9. .The switch 4operating lever 2|5 is fixed to the afore'said lever 204 and is adapted to move therewith, this `lever2|5 having a pair of switch operating iingers 2|6 and 2|1 alternately engageable withthe swinging operating element 2|8 of switch 2|9 which is preferably of the well-known snap-over type and .is provided with contacts 220 and 22|. Contact 220 is connected to wire |92 which leads to one side ofthe solenoid coil |14 (Fig. 8) and contact 22| is connected to one'side of the battery |86 through wire In the fully 'released (throttle closed) position of the accelerator pedal |98 as s hown in Fig. 1, the linger 2|6 has operated the switch elementv 2|8 so that the switch is open andv when the accelerator pedal |98 is depressed tothe limit of its aforesaid throttle opening range of movement, the finger 2|1 has been s'wungupwardly about the lever support 205 and into engagement with the 'forward face of switch element 2|8. When the accelerator pedal is depressed for the aforesaid overtravelling range of movement, the finger 2|1'then swings the switch operating elerestore the partsto the throttle closed position the dashpot P in the mechanism so that a'smooth' operate' valve member |30 downwardly to cut off and, at the same time, vent the chamber |25 of the cylinder to the reservoir |`|3 thereby permitting spring 10,to,move piston 66 rearwardly f in cylinder 13'to disengage teeth 61 from teeth 51. The drive will then take place 'through the underdrive planetary gearing and when the driver releases the accelerator pedal to substantiallyl the fully released position, Aswitch 2|9 will be opened to deenergize solenoid O whereupon spring |35 will restore valve member |30 to the Fig. 8 position for supplying pressure fluid to chamber |25 of cylinder 12 to effect actuation of piston 66 forwardly in the cylinder to pro-` duce the step-up or direct drive from drive-shaft 34 to driven shaft 40. 4- When the solenoid O is de-energzed as above described, the dashpot P comes vinto action to cushion theV restoring operation of theV valve member |`30'so 'that the pressure build-up -in i.

the chamber |25 of cylinder 12 is smooth'and gradual during step-up of the speed ratio drive.:

As aforestated, the dashpot P maybe eliminated without adversely effecting the operation .of'the mechanism. It is however, preferred to include and gradual movement of the piston 66 may be achieved. v When the underdrive is in operation, the sun gear 55 is prevented from backward rotation by the overrunning control device sliown in Fig. 5,

as' aforesaid, it being apparent that when the teeth 61 on piston member 66 are engaged with the teeth 51 on the control sleeve 56 of the sun gear 55, the planetary train is caused to rotate forwardly as a unit with driving shaft 34 and d riven shaft 40 and the sun gearv sleeve control portion 56 thereupon automatically releases from' its locked-up relation with the reaction taking member 58. When the teeth 61 and 51jare engaged for lelecting the direct drive,

the kick-'down control by the accelerator pedal- 4is of advantage especially when the driver desiresto quickly pass another vehicle on the road or at times when the driver desires power application from' the engineA through torque multiplying gearing which is aiorded from the planetary underdrive train., The kick-down ycontrol ment 2 I8 in a counterclockwise direction to cause this element to have the usual snap action in vclosing the switchi 2|9. -When the accelerator pedal is released to its.wide open throttle posiy i tion, finger 2|6 does not immediately engage of element 2|8 in restoring the parts to their' Fig/1 position. l

lit will. thereforebej apparent that we have at the accelerator pedal |98 is therefore a-control which is responsive to the natural impulses` of the vehicle driver under the circumstances in that there is a natural tendencyto depress the accelerator pedal to the full extent of its travel under the aforesaid conditions. Thus, -whenthe accelerator Apedal is fully depressed, the kickdown controlis brought into operation to effect disengagementV of the clutch teeth 61.andsince vthe throttle valve |95 is vthen in the wide open position, the engine A immediately speeds up by an amount :corresponding to the'ratio of the .underdr'ive gearing being limited by operation of the rollers 63" which lock the'sle'eve 56 to the reaction-taking member 58, thereby arresting the tendency ofthe sun gear 55 to rotate lbackwards. -.Whe n the'accelerator pedal is released ment of piston 66 and engagement of the teethl 61 with the teeth 51. The same operation of the change speed gearing of the underdrive mechanism C takes place whenthe dash control knob |48 is manipulated by the vehicle driver although, as aforesaid, this control is vpreferably independent of the solenoid O so that when it is desired to drive a car in underdrive foia considerable period of time, it is not necessary to utilize electric current. It is also of advantage in the event that the dash control knob |48 is left in the underdrive position when the car is left standing since it does not tend to run down the battery |86.

We will now discuss the means for regulating or governing the supply of pressure fluid from pump K to the chamber of cylinder 12 in order to determine the engagement of the teeth 61 with the teeth 51 as a function of the speed of the driven shaft 40 as well as the car driving speed, thereby also determining the time element in the automatic step-up from underdrive to direct drive when the car is started from rest. By way of example, this part of the system may be so arranged that the car will'be accelerated in underdrive until it attains a speed in the neighborhood of twenty miles per hour, at which time the -pump K will be pumping fluid in sufficient amount to produce the pressure necessary to move the piston 66 forwardly against the force of the spring 10. Obviously, if desired, the functional operating characteristics of the system for controlling operation of the piston 66 may be varied as" desired, preference being to effect engagement of the direct driving mechanism at a relatively low car speed thereby obtaining the benefits hereinbefore set forth in connection with the use of the direct drive through the underdrive mechanism C when the car is operated for ordinary city driving as well as for country driving. The differential mechanism E at the rear driving axle preferably provides a relatively fixed drive between the propellerf shaft 20 and the'ground wheels 22 and with such an arrangement a direct drive 'condition in the mechcanisms C and D will provide an overall drive from the engine A to the ground wheels 22 of a character generally equivalent in'overall speed ratio to prevent commercial types of overdrive power transmission systems. In View of the arrangementfor convenient and fast operating kickdown from direct drive to underdrive in the mechanism C, the desired performance of a car for city driving is not lost in comparison with more conventional lpresent day car performance. When the kickdown mechanism is operated during the time that the change speed mechanism D isl set for direct drive, the overall speed ratio from the engine A to the ground wheels 22 in the preferred arrangement of our system is then, generally speaking, approximately equivalent to a direct drive setting of a standard transmission in the type of motor vehicle most commonly used at the present time.

Referring to Figs. 3, 8 and 10, the pressure fluid delivered by pump K into the passage ||8 of casting ||0 divides into two streams, one of which leads outwardly as aforesaid in the passage |20,and the other of which leads inwardly in the passage 235 for entry into the arcuate groove or chamber 236 which partially surrounds the sleeve |23. The casting ||0 is formed with an outw-ardly extending boss ||2 terminating at its upper end closely adjacent the underface of a boss 238 formed in the top .portion of the casing 59 and having an outwardly extending opening 239 threadedly receiving an abutment closure member 240.

The boss ||2 is formed with a bore 24| which extends radially outwardly with respect to the vaxis of drivenshaft 40 coaxially with the casing opening 239. The lower end of bore 24| is provided with ythe neck portion 242 thereby forming a valve seat 243, this neck portion communicating withy the upper end portion of the pressure fluid conducting chamber 236. Slidably disposed in bore 24| is a valve member 244 formed with a re-` duced portion 245, this valve being urged downwardly against seat 243 by a coil spring 246 having its upper end thrusting against the abutment closure member 240. The valve member 244 is provided with an axial iluid metering passage 241 communicating at its lower end with a neck portion 242 of the pressure fluid conducting system, the passage 241 extending upwardly through the axis of valve member 244 and having its upper end extending transversely of said axis for communication with the chamber 248 which surrounds the reduced valve portion 245.

When the valve member 244 is seated downwardly as in Fig. 8, the valve chamber 248 communicates with the outwardly extending casting passage 249 which is formed with a downward extension 250 terminating in' the groove 25|. This groove 25| communicates with the aforementioned lubricant conducting bore ||9 of the shaft 48 through the sleeve passage 253 and the radial shaft passage 252.

When the vehicle engine is first started up and with the power transmission mechanism D manipulated to disconnect the engine from the ground wheels 22 by means which will presently be more apparent, the engine when idling will drive the shaft 40 in underdrive from shaft 34 assuming that the idle is suiliciently fast to cause fluid coupling runner 28 to be rotated by the impeller 25 andto cause the pump G to build up suillcient pressure to drivingly engage clutch F.

With the engine so operating to impart drive to shaft 40 and with the change speed mechanism D set for-neutral, the pump K will start delivering relatively small quantities of fluid from reservoir ||3 under a relatively low pressure insufcient to cause movement of the piston 66. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that the pressure does not build up under suchI conditions because the metering passage 241 of valve member 244 dev J, thereby disconnecting the drive through clutch F to the annulus gear 49. The change speed mechanism D may then be manipulated to produce forward drive,'for example, and the pedal 98 maybe released to restore clutch F to driving condition, the engine throttle ,valve |96 opened in the customary manner to increase the power delivery of engine A and the car 'accelerated from standstill with the underdrvev mechanism oper- -ating to drive driven shaft 40 forwardly from driving shaft 34 to a relatively slow speed. As

the speed of rotation v'of shaft 40 increases, the

' 4 pump K will deliver a proportionately increasing amountyof fluid and one function of the valve spring 246- and metering passage 241 is to determine the conditions under which pressure fluid will build up sufficiently to' effect forward movement of piston 66.

It will be apparent that by suitably proportioning the strength of spring246 that the driver may manipulate the reduction' drive of transmission D in starting the vehicle to thereby obtain a double reductionA operable until teeth-61 are engaged with teeth 51 by mo- I parent, the mechanisms C and D therefore provide, in fact, four forward speed ratios including a vcompound reduction drive through the reduction gearing of both mechanisms, a single reduction drive through mechanism C with mechain relationshp with the metering passage 241 1t` is `possible to provide for operation of the'direct drive lock-up mechanism at the desired car sneed of approximately twenty miles per heur or any other speed which may be desired.

A s the pressure fluid delivery from pump K increases, the pump .delivers more fluid than can pass through the metering passage'241 and the valve member 244 will then begin to move upwardly, further compressing spring l246 until the neck portion 242 communicates directly with passage 249. When the pump pressure builds up sufficiently to cause forward movement of piston 66then any excess pressure causes valve member 244 to move further upwardly permitting additional quantities of fluid to escape from chamber 236to passage 249 for delivery to the shaft bore l t9. The valve therefore functions as a pressure release Valve .in addition to the functions thereof for regulating or governing the operation of 'the direct drive lock-up mechanism.

`By arranging the upper end of boss H2 closely adjacent the underface of boss 238, the closure member 240'may be removed for replacing spring 246 and valve member 24'4 without danger of the valve memberdropping between bosses H2 and 238 and falling down into the mechanism within casing 59. This arrangement also conveniently nism D operating in direct, a single reduction.

drive through mechanism D with mechanism C operating in direct, and a direct drive with both mechanisms C and D operating in direct. In

addition, .the mechanismD may be manipulated to provide a reduction reverse drive which is arranged for' compounding with the underdrive through mechanism C and -by an appropriate setting of the pressure fluid build-up as will` presently be more apparent,.t he power trans/mission will operate tc automatically step-up the .driving mechanismC for a direct drive therethrough during reverse in view of the fact that lpump K is driven from driven shaft 4o which always has a forward direction of rotation so that pump K is never operatedin reverse. Re-

provides for substituting a spring'n place of the spring 246 for. changing' the operative func-tions of the pressure fluid delivered .by pump K also other valve members inplace of the member 244 hav,- ing diering capacities of metering passages to thereby produce variations in the pressurefluid delivery and operation of the direct drive lock-up mechanism.

fer-ring particularly tofFigs. 1 and 4, the vehicle illustrated is provided with a stationary steering post o r column 255 adapted to mount the vehicle operated steering wheel 256 for steering the front groundwheels, not shown, of the motor'vehicle in any desired well-known manner, the steering movement from wheel v2,56 being transmitted downwardly and forwardly by the hollow shaft 251 Awhich is disposed centrally within the column 255. Suitable gear shifting mechanism is associated with the column 255 for operation by' a gear shift le'ver (not shown). This mechanism comprisesjin general, a rod member 251 operatively connected at one end with the.

plate 256 and at its other end with bellcrank'258 which is, in turn, connected through rod 259 to a shifterlever 260 mounted on the side of thev transmission' casing D. Bowden cable 26I-.also

interconnects the plate member 256 and the 'I'he provision Ofmetering passage 241 also insures constant delivery of the fluid to lubricating ypassage ll9'whenever driven shaft 40 4is rotatng. the oil passing forwardly in thevshaft bore from the delivery passage 252 for distribution to suitable outlet passages to the various rotating parts of the underdrive mechanism. One outlet passage isindicated at 254. The lubricating oil -may also travel rearwardly in the shaft bore and into the bore 231 of transmission tail shaft 252 in the mechanism D from whence it may nd its wav into contact with the rotating parts thereof Athrough suitable oil passages such as indizcate at 234511 Fig. 4.

We have preferably provided'a changespeed transmission D having a plurality of forward driving speed ratios anda reverse drive between driven,l shaft 40 and the tail shaft leading from transmission D, and more particularly we have.

arranged this change speed transmission D to provide a selectively operable reduction drive and a. direct drive.

The arrangement'is such mechanism D. Inasmuch as the control mechanism for the change speed mechanism D, forms no part of thepr'sentinvention, it will not be described in detail. The features of the control mechanism are-disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Carl A. Neracher et al., Serial No". 207,714, filed in the United States Patent Office May 13, 1938.

The drive from the underdrive mechanism C isfccnnected to the change speed mechanism vD by theV intermediate driven shaft 40 and the drive from transmission D is transmitted to the propeller shaft 20 through the tail/or out-put driven shaft 262. This tail' shaft Visadapted for l rotation selectively in the forward direction of rotation of. driven shaft 4|! or in a reverse direc-A tion with respect thereto. As illustrated in Fig.

4e, tail shaft 2 62 carries the usual brake drum 266 adapted `for engagement by thejusual brake means (not shown) for use as an emergency or parking-brake. The driven shaft 40 has its rear portion joirnalled by bearing 261 in the casing 268fofv the mechanism D, this shaft carrying the countershaft driving pinion 28| which is provided with direct drive clutch teeth 269 and a synchronizing friction cone surface 210 for synchronization operation with a companion friction clutching element 21 I, preferably having the blocker teeth 212 adapted to obstruct forward shift of the clutching teeth 213 or shift sleeve 265 when the latter is shifted forwardly to engage teeth 269 to establish direct drive through transmission D. The shift sleeve 265 has its teeth 213 slidably engaging corresponding teeth 215 of the hub structure 214 xed by the splines 216 with the forward end portion of tail shaft 262 which is. rotatably journalled by the bearing 211 within the hollow rear end portion of shaft 40. An expansion friction ring 218 frictionally engages the teeth 213 of shift sleeve 265 and releasably urges the synchronizing ring 21| against the friction surface 210 when the sleeve is shifted forwardly to produce blockingsynchronizing action between the shafts 48 and 262, whereby the sleeve teeth 213 cannot be moved into positive clutching engagement with teeth 269 until the shafts are brought into synchronization as'more particularly described in the aforesaid Neracher application. If desired, other forms of synchronizing means may be employed or the shafts may be arranged for clutching action with the synchromesh.

A similar synchronizing blocker ring 218 is disposed at the rear of hub 214 for controlling the rear shift movement of sleeve 265 to synchronize low speed gear 219 with tail shaft 262 prior to engagement of the shiftable clutch teeth 213 with the teeth 288 carriedby gear 219, the latter being loosely journalled on tail shaft 262 and adapted to transmit low speed forward drive to the tail shaft when the, shift sleeve 265 is clutched to teeth 280 aforesaid.

The gear 28| is in constant mesh with the countershaft cluster drive gear 282 journalled on the countershaft 283, the cluster having the further countershaft gears 284 and 285. Gear 284 is in constant mesh with the low speed drive gear 219 and gear 285 is adapted to transmit a reverse drive to the gear 286 through the intermediary of an idler gear (not shown) which may be manipulated into engagement with both of the gears 285 and 286 by suitable mechanism. The gear 286 is splined at 281 on the tail shaft 262, and when it -is driven by the cluster gear 285 'through the intermediary of the aforesaid idler gear, a reverse rotation is imparted to tail shaft 262.

A speedometer drive worm 288, splined on thetail shaft, is in mesh with the pinion 289 which drives the speedometer shaft in the usual manner.

In the operation of the transmission as a whole, we will assume that the selectorelement 260 is positioned for neutral and that the engine A is not operating, this being the condition of the parts when the car is parked. We will further assume that the power transmission system incorporates a fluid coupling B and that the dash knob .|48 is in the Fig. 1 position so that the valve V and parts associated therewith are positioned as in Fig. 8, this being the preferred normal condition of the parts when the vehicle is left standing- When it is desired to drive'the car forwardly, the fluid coupling offers such advantages of car acceleration that 'in many instances it will be found preferable to start the vehicle with the change speed mechanism D manipulated for direct drive. However, for illustrating the various lfunctions of themechanism, we will describe the start of the vehicle with the transmission D set for its low speed forward drive, this drive affording greater torque modification than when the car is accelerated with the mechanism D in direct.

The engine A is started in the customary manner, transmission D still being in neutral and since shaft 49 usually oiers resistance to forward rotation even wiLh transmission D in neutral, the engine will have the tendency to drag the fluid coupling runner 21 forwardly, especially when the engine is turned over .by means of the fast idle mechanism which is .customarily employed and which operates during the period that the engine is warming up. Thus, the runner 21 will rotate the member 80, thereby causing the pump G to deliver pressure fluid to the cylinder J through ports 89 and 92' of valve H, pedal 98 being in retracted position as shown in Fig. l. Clutch F will thus be engaged and annulus gear 49 will be rotated. Since the carrier 53 tends to remain stationary, sun gear 55 will have a tendency to rotate backwardly but will be prevented from this rotation by the wedging action of the rollers 63 of the outer overrunning device which will wedge into locking engagement with the reaction-taking member 58. Consequently the shaft 40 will have a very slow forward rotation ordinarily making it advisable to momentarily release the clutch F in order to shift the transmission `D` from neutral for initially accelerating the car.

The driver will therefore use pedal 98 as an ordinary clutch pedal, depression thereof will cause forward movement of the valve stem operating rod 9 1 to cut off communication between ports 89 and 92 of valve H and establish communication between ports 92 and 93 thereby venting the cylinder J. Clutch F is'thus disengaged stopping forward rotation of lannulus gear 49, carrier 53 and shaft 40. The driver may now manipulate the shifting mechanism to move the shift collar 265 rearwardly to effect engagement of the clutch teeth 213 with clutch teeth 280 thereby establishing a low speed drive through the mechanism D. Release o`f the pedal 98 and simultaneous depression of the. accelerator pedal |98 to speed up the engine will smoothly' engage the clutch F and the-vehicle will start its initial forward acceleration through the planetary underdrive gearing compounded with the low speed gearing'of the mechanism D.

As the vehicle accelerates and reaches the predetermined desired speed bearing the desired relationship with the speed of driven shaft 40 from which the pump K is driven, the fluid delivered by said pump will have reached the point where the pressure is sufficient to operate piston 66 forwardly. Accordingly, piston 66 will move forwardly in the cylinder '12 and the teeth y,|39 will abut the teeth 68 of blocker member." 64. As aforesaid, the teeth 68 are slightly longer than the teeth 51, thus contact between the teeth 61 and the teeth' 51 is prevented assuring noiseless operation of the -unde -fdrive during the acceleration period.

Direct drive may now be established through the underdri'e mechanism by release of the accelerator pedal which will causel the motor A together with the associated driving mechanism forwardly of -annulus gear 49 to decrease in speed. The driving torque through the underdrive mechanism will thereby be reversed, the

1 The annulus gear 49 will now tend to become 'the reaction element of the planetary train in- I shaft 40 becoming the temporary'driving shaft. 'tor pedal. Ordinarily, however, the vehicle will notbe driven sufficiently fast in reverse to wa'rrant any step up in the relatively low speed re- 'stead ofthe driving element, and the carrier 52..

will beginto drivesun Igear 55 in a clockwise direction caus'ing the outer cam 56" of the sun gear control sleeve 56 to disengage from locking engagement with the rollers 63', and the inner cam 55' to fwedge the rollers 63" into locking engagement'with the blocler member 64 which will -thus tend to be driven in a. forward direcverse drive.

Wheneverv the car is being driven with thev underdrive mechanism C locked up and with mechanism D manipulated for either low speed or directl drive, the kickdown mechanism opertion causing. slight relative forward movement p of the bloclrer` 64 with respect to the shaft 40 because 'of the loose spline connection 65. This slight forward movement of the blockery member 64 will' unblock the teeth 69 and .permit piston 66 to move forwardly under theinfluence ofthe pressure fluid present in chamber |25 thereby engaging the teeth 61 with the teeth 51.

The driver may nowdepress the accelerator -:pedal and the car will be accelerated forwardly in what may be termed its second speed. When move the shift collar 265 forwardly in the mechit is desired to again step `up the speed ratio Vthe driver `has only to manipulate the aforementioned-y gear selector element and pedal 96 to anism Dito disengage the clutch teeth 213 froml engagement with clutch teeth 280 and enable by overtravel depression of the accelerator pedal |90 is always availableiassuming that the dash control knob |49 is in the position illustrated in Fig. 1) so that the mechanism C may be manipulated to produce a fast shift to underdrive for passing another vehicle on the road orI underother conditions.

Whenever it is vdesired to drive in sustained underdrive through the mechanism C, the driver gage the clutch teeth 213 with the clutch teeth anism D.: vFor example, in initially starting the 269, thereby establishing adirect drive through u the mechanism D'. The car is now running inu direct v.drive vthrough both the underdrive mechanism C and mechanismD and, as aforesaid,"

this drive is preferably a relatively fast drive by reason of the'ratio of the dierential mechanism 'at therear axle of the vehicle. In other'words,

the car will .be driven in a Aratio approximating that which is ordinarily termed an overdrive although the drivethrough the power transmission Ais. obtained with the gears of mechanism C locked'up and with a direct drivevthrough mechanism D.-- This has the advantage of quiet run ning, less wear on the gears during normal driving conditions' 'and lmany other advantages.

' A 'still further speed ratio is readily obtain-- the car to the motor through the .underdrive i pushes the dash knob |48 forwardly to operate -the Bowden wire mechanism |41 for holding valve vV in `closed position to cut off communication between the passages |20 and |2I. With the underdrive locked out, the car may be initially accelerated as before by depressing pedal 90 and manipulating transmission D for either of the desired forward speed ratio drives or for reverse drive. For speed ratio changes after the car is. running normally, the speed ratios 'in the' mechanism D may be 4selected as aforesaid at the willof' the driver.

Inasmuch as the pump G is arranged to supply pressure uid for operation of the master clutch-F only whenthe motor A is operating, it vcan be readily 4seen that with the mechanism described it would be impossible to start the car by towing, due to thefact that there would be no drive transmitted from the rear wheels of i mechanism C because the clutchv l1i would, under such conditions, bedisengaged. Reference is now made to Figs. 11 and 12 which show a slightly,

modified arrangement of themechanism D and the valve`H which will permit the car to be Astarted by ltowing.

able with our power transmission and is of 'conu f siderable importance especially. where a fluid coupling B is employed, this speed ratio drive being .obtained by acombination of 'the underdrive o f mechanism D and direct d'rive in mechvehicle, the driver may depress the pedal 90 and A third pump L of the gerotor4 type is mounted adjacent the rear end cover portion 29| of the casing 268 and is driven from the tail shaft 262 by means of the ball connection 296. The

. pumpLhas a driven rotor 296 which meshes pump 299.

manipulatethe` gear selector element to establish direct drive in mechanism D' andthe 'ear will then be initially acc'eleratedinj this speed ratio. As'. soo-n 'a's the car reaches the desired predetermined speed; direct.- drive may be lestablished through the underdrive mechanism C.

by momentary release of the accelerator pedal as' aforesaid, which will permit engagement of lthe teeth 61 with the -teeth 51.

' In driving the vehicle' in reverse from; a condition'of car standstill, the driver depressespedal `98 to release clutch F and thenmanipulates the selector lever from neutral to 'reverse setting which will establish a. driving relationship -between 4the gears 285 and 201iv ofthe 'mechanism D. The drive will then takeplace through the underdrive oi.' the mechanism' and the reduction' ,reverse drive 'compounding therewith.7 in the i mechanism D. Ii desired, the piston 66 vmay'be drivinglyfengaged .withthe teeth 51 to'establish direct drive through the underdrive-mechanism C when asuilcientl'y highl speedhas been reached .by momentary release of th accelera- '69 speed ratios described above. The pressure fluid with the driving rotor 291 and draws -fluid from a passage 290 into the intake chamber of stituted in place of the valve I-lY when the modifled arrangement of Fig. 11 is used. Valve I-I' is shown yin Fig. 12 under conditions when the` vehicle'is normally withgthe 'motor A driving the car through anyv of the different from pump L entering valve H' through port 30|, flows into the lower chamber ,of the valve and is' vented to the sump through ports 302 '-ing outwardly through the port 92 to maintain and 93 the latter of `which is'in communication withthe pressure prt, 30| through ports -303 and 304 and passage 305 of valve `I-I'. Piston member 306 of the valve is urged rearwardly againstY the rear end of its chamber against the pressure ofa coil spring 301 by pressure fluid from pump G which is entering the upper chamber ofithe valve through port 69. Besidesilowthe clutch F in driving engagement, the pressure fluid from pump G1. also flows downwardly through port 308 and passage309 into the lower valve chamber where it impinges on the piston member 306 moving it rearwardly in the chamber.

When the vehicle motor is at rest, there is, of course, no pressure on at port 89 of the valve H. Thus the spring 301 will move the piston 306 forwardly in the lower chamber thereof, establishing communication between port 30 -and port 3|0 and closing off the vent ports 302 and 303. Port 3| 0 opens into a chamber 3|| which contains a spring pressed ball check 3|2. Chamber 3H in turn opens through port 3|3 into Athe upper chamber of the valve. When it is desired to start the car by towing, the gear selector mem` ber controlling the mechanism D is manipulated to establish forward drive through mechanism D which will of course cause shaft 40, carrier 53 and annulus gear 49 to be rotated'as soon as the driving Wheels are turned. As vsoon as tail shaft 262 begins to rotate, pump L will begin delivering pressure fluid to port 30| of valve H. This pressure fluid will flow through port 3| 0 into chamber 3|| unseat'ing the ball check 3|2 against the spring, and thence upwardly through port 3I3 into the upper chamber of the valve, thence outwardly through. port 92 into the cylinder J, causing rearward movement of piston 45 and engagement of clutch F. As soon as driving engagement is established between annulus gear 49 and shaft 34, the motor A will be turned over through the intermediary of the fluid coupling B andpump G will start delivering pressure fluid through port 89 of valve H. Pump G is designed to have a much greater capacity than pump vL, therefore, as soon as motor A begins to turn over an appreciable speed, pressure from pump G flowing into valve H through passage 89 will maintain clutch F engaged and will counteract the pressure of the pump L flowingupwardly through the chamber 3I| thereby causing the bell 3|2 to seat closing off the flow of pressure fluid upwardly through thechamber 3H. At the same time, pressure from pump G will flow through port 308 and passage 309 into the lower chamber of valve H' where it will impinge against the piston 306 causing it to move rearwardly in the chamber against the vehicle engine A and, as Will be noted from Fig. 3, is drivingly connected with the crankshaft 23 .through the fluid coupling B. The motor Mis adapted upon energization from the vehicle battery to drive pinion 293 through the overrunning clutch commonly provided, thereby causing rotation of the clutch member F which is drivingly associated with the drive shaft 34 and the runner 28 of the fluid coupling. When starting the vehicle motor the runner 28 becomes temporarily the driving member of the fluid coupling and fluid impelled therefrom will turn the impeller 25 which is directly connected to the crankshaft 23 of engine A. By starting the vehicle engine through the fluid coupling several advantages are gained, the most important being that it permits the use of a smaller and less costly starting motor.

The motor M is preferably of the high speed type and, in starting the engine A, the motor shaft 292 together with the runner 28 may immediately attain a high speed due to the inherent slippage in the fluid coupling, thereby readily overcoming the static friction of the engine without necessitating a heavy surge of current from the vehicle battery.

Fig. 13 illustrates a modified form of the invention which differs from that previously described in that a friction clutcn R is used to directly connect the sun gear of the planetary train to the driven shaft 40. In Fig. 13 the sun gear 3|5 has a rearwardlyextending portion o n which is splined at 3H a drive control member SI5. on the external periphery thereof which is adapted to cooperate with the overrunning rollers 3|9 shown more particularly in Fig. 14 to effect a llocking engagement with the reaction-taking member 320. The latter member is yieldably held against rotation relative to casing 59 by the pressure of spring 301 closing off port 3|0 lbs. per square inch, whilethe pump L is designed to deliver a maximum pressure of approximately 40 lbs. per square inch. The pressure` delivery by the pump Lwill be sufficient to cause engagement of clutch F and to permit sufficient driving effort to be transmitted `therethrough for starting the motor A. However, as soon as the motor A begins to turn over at an appreciable speed, the pressure delivered into the valve H' from the pump G will be sulcient to maintain .clutch F in driving engagement and will cut off the pressure being delivered into the upper chamber of valve H from pump L in the manner just described.

Referring back to Fig. 3 for the moment, it will be seen that an electric motor M is mounted on the top portion of the transmission casing by means of the shelf portion 59. The motor M has a shaft 292 on which is mounted a pinion 293 meshing with a ring gear 294 carried by the outer annular drive element 46 of the clutch F.

means of a rubber bushing 32| interposed between a bore provided in the radially extending arm 322 and the casing mounted pin 323. A similar yieldable connectionis provided at the opposite side of the casing. If desired, a coil spring connection such as that shown in Fig. 5A may be used to yieldably restrain the member 3 6 against reverse movement.

The member 3 6 is also provided with a radially outwardly extending portion 324 forming the driving member of the friction clutch R which is provided with the driving discs 325 and the driven discs 326. Driven discs 326 have a splined connection at their inner peripheral portions with a member 321 splined on the shaft 40. A cylinder 328 is also splined on the shaft 40 and encloses a piston 329 which is adapted to be moved for- A wardly in the cylinder against the force of a coil spring 330 to force the clutch plates 325 and 326 *into driving engagement. Pressure fluid from 1the pump K may be introduced into the cylinder 328 through'passages 33|, 332 and 333 to move the piston 329 forwardly against the spring 330.

The motor M is the regular starting motor for The fluid system which supplies pressure fluid to the cylinder 328 will not be described in detail inasmuch as it is identical with that used in connection with the Fig. 3 modification. If desired, the ignition grounding mechanism illustrated at the left hand portion of Fig. 8 may be eliminated. Due to the fact that the clutch R is of the friction type, no unloading of the clutch members ls necessary yto effect disengagement thereof.

In thel operation of the Fig. 13 modification, lock-up of the underdrive will occur as soon as the pump K delivers sufficient fluid to move piston 329 forwardly against spring 330 and takes The drive control member has a cam 3I3 

